Living With an Open Floor Plan

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to apartment living. That being said, as the trends change, so too do the layouts of many apartments, which can prove problematic for many.

For instance, many apartments nowadays feature an open floor plan, which to some is fantastic, but to others is an absolute nightmare. So when you’re deciding whether or not a space with an open floor plan is right for you, keep these six factors in mind!

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

1. It’s loud

One of the first and most important items when it comes to living with an open floor plan is knowing that your apartment is going to be loud. While many individuals choose rugs to muffle some of the noise, an open floor plan is essentially a big, open, echo-y space.

When looking at an open floor plan, you may want to consider one with carpet, if available, as this can help to eliminate some of that noise. Otherwise, be prepared for a loud living space.

2. The design needs to be cohesive

Another struggle that comes with owning an open floor plan is the fact that decorating becomes far more difficult. For instance, if you have a certain color scheme you want for the living room, but a different one that you want for the kitchen, it’s much more difficult to accomplish due to the connectedness of the rooms.

Not only do your color schemes need to be cohesive, but the rugs, window treatments, furniture, etc. all need to match in order to look like they belong, which restricts your decorating abilities greatly.

3. No separation from roommates

Another very important distinction here is that, with an open floor plan, there is very little separation from your roommates. For this reason, you are likely going to require more time outside of your apartment to get away.

While most apartments allow roommates (if applicable) to spend time in separate rooms, apartments with open floor plans aren’t as effective, in this way. Therefore, if you are planning on living with roommates, it’s important to be aware of this fact and think about it before you sign your lease.

4. Cleaning is a bit more unique

When it comes to cleaning your apartment, it’s typically a pretty easy process. Most individuals move from room to room, cleaning as needed. However, with an open floor plan, cleaning can become more frequent and/or all-inclusive.

Basically, when you clean one room in an open floor plan, you need to clean all of them. It’s much harder to clean room by room, which can become a bit of a pain when it comes to cleaning your space. While this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, this is something that many people don’t consider before moving in, so make sure that this is in the back of your mind.

5. Difficult for completing schoolwork

While students have difficulty completing their schoolwork in their apartment on a normal basis, completing schoolwork at home when you live in an open floor plan is even more difficult. For one thing, if a roommate is watching TV in another room, there is no way to drown out the noise in an open floor plan.

In addition, if anyone is talking in another room or listening to music, etc., you’ll have a more difficult time concentrating on your work at home. For this reason, trips to the library might become more necessary/frequent, which, for some, is a bit of a problem.

6. Can feel crowded

Last, but not least, it’s important to consider the fact that open floor plans can feel crowded, even though the appearance is more open. The crowded factor comes from the idea that there isn’t any separation between rooms, so you always feel like you are with people, even if they are in a different room than you.

For some, this is ideal, but for others, this is smothering. Just remember that living in an apartment with an open floor plan while living with roommates can be much more overwhelming than meets the eye, so be sure you’re aware that crowds are likely in this type of living space.

Again, living with an open floor plan can be a great or a negative thing, and it entirely depends on how you look at it. If you are hesitant about living in a space with an open floor plan, or are considering whether or not it’s right for you, these six factors will help you to determine whether or not the space is worth renting.

However, keep in mind that there are many more considerations to keep in mind here, so as you move forward with your apartment selection, do your research and be sure that the space you’ve chosen is the right space for you, especially when considering an open floor plan.

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

Tags:

Follow Victoria

Victoria is a dedicated writer who graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She currently writes freelance pieces for various sites and works in Marketing for Myndbee Inc., promoting their current mobile app, Picpal.